Neil Noble, President of ETS

Neil Noble of ETS Japan, tells Maki Nibayashi about golf course maintenance.

Please tell us a bit about your company.

We are a golf course maintenance outsourcing and consulting company based in Chiba. We consult with ten golf courses and teach their staff how to improve the maintenance of their golf courses. We also manage the entire maintenance operation at three golf courses in Kanto. Many golf courses in Japan are undergoing restructuring to become profitable. Outsourcing the maintenance operations to a professional maintenance company like ours can lower costs and improve the golf course conditions.
We are growing very fast and are on the cutting edge of applying scientific technology to golf course maintenance. We are the leaders in our industry and are looking for highly-skilled individuals to grow with the company.

When did you first start building golf courses here in Japan?
I began working in Japan in 1987 for Pete Dye, a famous American golf course architect and his son Perry Dye.

What positions are you seeking to fill?
We are looking for a bilingual Executive Coordinator and Interpreter to assist the president and his key staff with new business development, client relations and general administration. Responsibilities include translation, interpretation, contract negotiations and some visits to golf courses to make course inspections with our consulting staff. The salary range is JY300,000-JY375,000 per month, plus travel expenses. Benefits include frequent travel in Japan and to the US, flexible hours, and some potential for working from home.

We are also looking for a bilingual secretary for golf courses in Otaki, Chiba and Kinugawa, Tochigi to work for a foreign golf course superintendent and to coordinate product orders, staff relations, payroll, invoices and some translation and interpretation. The salary is JY200,000-JY250,000 per month for a 35-40 hour week. Benefits include a flexible work schedule and transportation expenses.

We are also looking for two P/T and two F/T bilingual field interpreters and translators. These individuals will travel frequently to the golf courses with our foreign golf course maintenance specialists, meet the greenskeepers, inspect the courses and train key staff. This position includes interpretation in the field between ETS staff and the golf course staff, report translation, weekly phone calls/e-mail, working from home (when not traveling), flexible days off and 1-3 trips per year to the US. The F/T salary is JY250,000-JY300,000 per month, plus travel expenses and the P/T salary is JY100,000-JY150,000 per month.

Japanese nationals with university degrees in horticulture or agriculture, moderate to good English skills, and some golf course landscape maintenance experience are encouraged to apply for entry-level management positions. After learning our golf course management techniques, these managers will supervise golf course maintenance operations at our new facilities. The salary is JY250,000-JY300,000 per month.

We also want to hire a bilingual Information Technology Specialist with strong skills in web and graphic design. This position may be a salary or six-month contract position at JY400,000-JY500,000 per month. This individual will work closely with the president to develop marketing tools. Benefits include flexibility to do some work at home and travel to golf courses throughout Japan and possibly to the US.

Send your resume to ETSJAPAN@attglobal.net 


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